Research Project

     I am researching the regulation of food in the United States. Government intervention is necessary to prevent Americans from getting sick from eating harmful foods, but some politicians are trying to ban fattening foods and fight obesity. In response, many online articles have been written on the subject. Some people say that, as free citizens, they should be allowed to eat whatever they want to and remain whatever size they want. Others think that these new programs will help to create a healthier nation. This is interesting to me as, although I usually don't enjoy studying human rights issues, I like the reactions. There's something extraordinarily funny to me about reading an enraged comment from a foul-mouthed person with a username that's something to the effect of "SuperRockGod82." On a more serious note, I also enjoy reading the legal documents involved in this topic. My project is supposed to allow everyone to make an informed decision on their personal stances and to understand why someone may believe something different.
     Government food regulation is a necessary part of remaining a healthy nation, however, this can begin to affect the rights of the citizens to free choice and "pursuit of happiness." No one can deny that standards on ingredients in foods are imperative to keep parabens and other dangerous materials out of the food supply. This can become a problem when people are trying to figure out what to ban. Trans fats, supersize sodas, and school lunches have been the target of many political campaigns. Some politicians believe that severely regulating or in the most extreme cases, banning, these foods will improve the health of the nation. In response, many citizens have been in uproar about the limitation on their right to choose what goes into their bodies. Among these protesters are people that are perfectly happy to be overweight or obese and those who wish to indulge in an extra-large sodas from time to time. There are many interesting articles and legal documents written on this topic, and I implore you, as the reader, to investigate it further. In conclusion, these programs may slim the super-sized nation but not without leaving human rights issues in their wake.

Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe:
30 mins-Wed

Detailed Outline:
45 mins-Thurs

Vocab Cards:
30 mins-Sun

Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian:
15 mins-Mon
15 mins-Thurs

Working/Reading Times

Note cards:
15 mins-Sat

Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe:
45 mins- Mon
30 mins- Thurs

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian:
20 mins: Tues
20 mins-Sat

NHD Project

   My project is about food regulations in the USA and how it relates to the parental rights and government responsibilities. It is actually important because there are boundaries that need to be drawn for the regulation. The government has to have some control to avoid putting parabens and other dangerous ingredients into our food. This raises several questions. What should they be allowed to regulate? Should saturated fats be an item of consideration for USDA approval? Should receivers of food stamps be limited to healthy foods?
     I hope that my project does not directly answer those questions but instead allows any reader to form an educated opinion on these subjects. The point is to educate people on the necessity of the regulations placed upon food sold in America while also allowing them to figure out for themselves how much is too much.
     My research to-do list is to try to find one or two more sources as I am pretty happy with my current annotations. I also need to start some notecards in the near future. I feel good about my project so far, and I hope that I can maintain my quality of product. I'm surprisingly on-schedule and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't freaked out by that.

The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Tues: 45 mins
Wed: 30 mins

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie
Fri: 10 mins
Sat: 10 mins
Mon: 10 mins

Annotated Bibliography
Sun: 15 mins

Write about one interpretation of evil and then write about how you see this interpretation.

     Evil is causing something awful with a desire to cause strife. It is something that is done solely for the joy of other people's suffering. I see this as trying to hurt people for absolutely no reason. It could be physical like pushing someone out of the way, but it could also manifest emotionally. It could be slander, withholding important information, or lying with the intention to cause harm. It isn't telling someone that they look good to boost their ego when they don't or having ulterior motives. Evil is desire for terrible things to happen just because they're awful.
     Evil is indiscriminate. It happens when people attack unprovoked. It has a sadistic side to it. The evil doer might not even get any benefits from doing anything to their victim. They might get a power rush, but there is no real gain. They do it just to exercise any sort of power and control.
     I consider myself to be a cynical person. I personally think that people are inherently evil and the only thing that keeps them from being cruel is their fear of abandonment and rejection. Everyone tempers their desire to do unethical things because they will reap more rewards by being nice than being an utter jerk. No one is really that nice. They just know that doing nice things will get them the social benefits that they crave.